<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>How It All Came To Be by Danmairen</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/30118752">How It All Came To Be</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Danmairen/pseuds/Danmairen'>Danmairen</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>in us we trust [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>SEVENTEEN (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Backstory, Fluff, GAD, M/M, Panic Attacks, Self-Indulgent, Snapshots, Swearing, This is me finally writing the backstory which i have imagined all along, almost, and they will get their answers, but no selfprojecting!, but very mild, for my own little universe, im very soft for them and for once no one has to suffer!, nosy friends want explanation for new friends, or boyfriends?, these guys have lived in my brain for three years it's about time to let them loose</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 11:40:24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>14,724</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/30118752</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Danmairen/pseuds/Danmairen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>He constantly had to remind himself that he knew he was friends with a group of university students who would go way too far to satisfy their curiosities, and thus it shouldn’t be a surprise when they all appeared at his door at the crack of dawn the next morning, demanding their questions answered. </p><p>It did not make him less grumpy, but oh well, what is a tired introvert to do. </p><p>(Wonwoo has kept his gang of friends from meeting the three most precious people to him for... reasons. When he finally brings the two groups together, he has some explaining to do. And explain he will.)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jeon Wonwoo/Kim Mingyu, Jeon Wonwoo/Kim Mingyu/Wen Jun Hui | Jun/Xu Ming Hao | The8, Jeon Wonwoo/Wen Jun Hui | Jun, Jeon Wonwoo/Xu Ming Hao | The8, Kim Mingyu/Xu Ming Hao | The8, Minor or Background Relationship(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>in us we trust [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1562431</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>42</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Mingyu</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This has been in progress over two years by now, and I am so so happy it's done! This is, as the title says, how it all came to be, because I have so much backstory in my mind that I never got into the oneshots. This is technically set before all the oneshots, which is why some things might be a bit different.</p><p>These guys have really grown on me, so I hope they will be as fun to read as they were to write, and there are still so many scenes I have yet to write. But for now, thank you for looking/clicking by, and enjoy!</p><p>Also, I have a habit of writing very long sentences, and this makes the paraghaphs very long on the mobile browser. I've tried to split them up, so I hope it works, but sorry if it's still a bit overwhelming!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>For someone who wasn’t very fond of leaving his room, Wonwoo had a remarkably large circle of friends. Originally the group had just consisted of him and his three high schoolfriends, but with two of the said three friends’ ability to become buddy-buddy with literally anyone in the span of twenty minutes, the group had expanded enormously since they entered university. </p><p>Though Wonwoo hadn’t actively done much to meet said friend-friends, he had once been dragged, by his old pals, to a party, hosted by one of the aforementioned new pals. After that night, he had officially been adopted into the group, along with the obligatory group chat. </p><p>It was a mosaic of odd personalities and orientations, but they had slowly become a sort of family through late-night Monopoly-sessions and chicken eating contests – along with some unsuccessful study sessions, arranged by Jisoo, but they did not speak of those anymore. And through all this, his friends knew Wonwoo as the tired and slightly asocial boy who lived of instant noodles and black coffee. </p><p>So it was no wonder that they were shocked when the boy had invited all nine friends over for a movie night, and neither were their flabbergasted faces when they showed up only to find three unknown men sitting on the couch. </p><p>The situation had of course required some explanation, and Wonwoo had swiftly replied every question the group had thrown at him. Yes, the three of them were his friends and yes, he had acquired them himself, thank you very much Seungkwan. No, the small one was not a serial killer, he just hadn’t had his evening coffee yet and finally, their names were Jun, Mingyu and Hao. </p><p>“Jun” and “Hao” had protested as they were introduced and explained themselves that Jun was actually Junhui and Hao Minghao. Wonwoo had complained and said that their nicknames were just easier to use, to which both men slapped the former, one on his shoulder and the other on his thigh. </p><p>The sudden information had overloaded the newly arrived group, as they stood frozen in the entrance of the apartment and had looked like they would continue to stay there for all eternity. They finally broke out of their stupor when Mingyu yelled “Oh, I know you! You’re Jeonghan, that movie-maker guy, right?” and said male instantly launched himself into a lengthy speech about the difference between movie – which was the romcom crap they send at 12pm – and films – the artistic, philosophical and aesthetic ones, which he naturally created. </p><p>The nine men then went back to their usual behaviour, which was much like that of a 5th grade class, and by the time the last people left the apartment late at night, their group chat had gotten an additional three members.</p><p>Wonwoo had hoped that the new additions would take away the attention from him and another rather important question, but sadly his hopes were for naught. It had been a conscious choise from his side, to finally let the two clusters of ‘people-Jeon-Wonwoo-cares-about’, an exclusive label, meet each other, and naturally he also knew there would be consequences. These consequences might make him reconsider his stance on whether the nine deserved that title though. </p><p>He constantly had to remind himself that he knew he was friends with a group of university students who would go way too far to satisfy their curiosities, and thus it shouldn’t be a surprise when they all appeared at his door at the crack of dawn the next morning, demanding their questions answered. </p><p>It did not make him less grumpy, but oh well, what is a tired introvert to do. </p><p>The apartment owner had just stared at them for a while, wondering whether it was too late to smack the door shut, but at that point, they had already begun to push by him, taking of their shoes and outerwear, so he had resigned to his fate with a deep sigh. </p><p>“So,” Seungcheol began when the group had seated themselves in the living room, all in different locations varying from the couch to the windowsill. Wonwoo was surprised by the lack of complainants from the parent-trio about Soonyoung’s spot in the window, one leg dangling outside, but it would seem that Wonwoo was currently more important than Soonyoung’s safety. </p><p>“How did you, the creative writing major, who only writes stories of terror and angst and all things dark, get three new friends without any of us knowing?”. The question hung in the air for a moment, a sense of anticipation building up, until Wonwoo pulled his mind together and began his explanation. Knowing that their expectations would only grow, it was better to get it over with, to burn the seed before it could sprout.</p><p>“First of all, I just want to say that I am an independent adult, and no matter how much parenting the three of you will force down my throat, you are not required to know everything about my life”. A few snorts were heard from around the room, and a “yeah, please remember!” from Chan, but the trio gave no reaction, staying on the couch, cuddled together and looking expectantly at the temporary centre of attention.</p><p>“Second of all, to answer your question, I met Mingyu back at our old high school, then Minghao at my parttime job after high school. Junhui joined us after he was the victim of Mingyu’s clumsiness a couple months ago or so” He hurriedly concluded, trying to wrap up before he was able to dig his own grave even deeper. Seungkwan was not the least bit satisfied with the answer, if his face was anything to go by, and the others seemed to share his disappointment, exclamations thrown at him, demanding more details.</p><p>“Okay okay! I’ll explain, dumbasses!” Wonwoo yelled, already exhausted by the thought of the upcoming conversation. Why he ever decided that these were the people he would call his friends, he honestly did not know, but there was nothing to be done about that now. Sadly, he had grown attached to these idiots, and could not bear missing out on the chance to facepalm at their next crazy antic, so he would have to bear their never-ending curiosity. </p><p>Seokmin was the first to raise his hand and the rest of the chaotic group magically silenced, waiting for him to speak up. It was one of their sacred rules, that whenever a group interrogation like this was ongoing, the first to raise an arm would get to start the questioning, while everyone else must calmly listen. Why that rule had been able to prevail in the chaos that was, well <em>them</em>, no one knew, but that was how it was with many things when it came to them. Things just were.</p><p>Seokmin looked confused at Wonwoo, as he lowered his arm. “So you were the… centre of the group? You were the one who brought the four of you together?”. A nod came from Wonwoo and Seokmin looked even more puzzled, which Wonwoo didn’t really understand. He was obviously not the most outgoing person, but was it really that unbelievable that he was the creator, so to say, of the quartet? “Then why do you always seem to flock around the cheery Chinese one… Jinh – Junhui, was it?”</p><p>Ah, so that was it.</p><p>Honestly, it was not that surprising that they would have assumed Junhui to be the core of their group, the element which kept them together. They did often follow the elder around and helped him out, but it was not because he was the glue in the group. Not that any of them were more important than the others, as they certainly wouldn’t have been able to stick together without everyone putting effort into it, but it would be untrue to credit Junhui as their founder. Wonwoo felt himself cringe at the term, but it was pretty fitting. </p><p>Between the four of them, Wonwoo was the one who had brought them all together and let them become who they were, in some odd way. He was the one the others had come to, and his straightforward personality gave him the ability to voice the thoughts the all had but were not willing to say. It was him who brought them together as friends and the one who gave them the words for who they were. They were all equal, but if one would try to find the root of their companionship, it would eventually lead back to Wonwoo.</p><p>“No, Junhui was actually the one who came last. As unbelievable you might think it is, I was the one who … made the group, I guess. Or well, I was the one who brought us together, initially. I met Mingyu back in high school, in the library on the second floor. You remember the really dirty one, with the lady who didn’t really work there but acted like she did? Yeah, I went there during a lesson and …”</p><p> </p>
<p></p><div>
  <p>
    <strong>***</strong>
  </p>
</div><p> </p><p>That day, Wonwoo had just gotten a C on his literature assignment, and he was ready to read his anger out in the solitude of the library. He had always gotten straight A’s, but since they got a new teacher, he had been struggling to keep up his grades. It would seem like Mrs. Oh had a vendetta against him for unknown reasons, but Wonwoo couldn’t really do anything about it, so he decided to skip maths and go read instead. It had always helped him calm down, to read and appreciate every word and scene, and he has faith his literary escape from reality would not fail him this time.</p><p>He has not counted the possibility of someone else being in his usual spot into his perfect equation of escapism, and when he realized that the comfortable trash-green armchair was already occupied, his hopes for a relaxing two hours fell onto the floor. As if his dreams shattering could actually be heard, the boy in the chair looked up from his own book and let his eyes meet Wonwoo’s. </p><p>The stranger was undeniably handsome, but when his eyes widened and he rushed up from his seat, the boy appeared more cute than cool. When he finally managed to get out of the chair, it was only to fall over his own feet a second later, dropping into a heap of limbs on the floor. The contrast between Wonwoo’s own gloomy mood, and the boy before him, currently resembling a pile of long limbs with a floof of hair on top, was just too glaring to ignore and made him crack up on the spot.</p><p>The trivial comedy of the situation released some of the tension which had been bugging Wonwoo for the better part of the week and made him forget his irritation for a moment. He continued laughing quietly as the boy tried to get onto his feet again, but his consciousness got the better of him after a few moments, and he reached out a hand to help the boy. </p><p>“Hey, you’re okay?” He inquired, and though the embarrassment of the situation had coloured the strangers face bright red, he nodded violently and sent Wonwoo a sheepish smile. </p><p>“Yeah it just ... Yeah, it happens. My mom says my limbs are too long for my body and I simultaneously believe and blame her” the boy replied and let go of Wonwoo’s hand after finding his footing again. “My name is Mingyu by the way. I’m not rally used to spent time in the library, so sorry if I took your spot! I tried to study for my math test in the cafeteria, but my friend kept throwing fries at me so I couldn’t concentrate and then I left and went here and this chair just looked good so I sat down, but even then I couldn’t study and you know, then you came and I was like –“</p><p>Wonwoo’s brain couldn’t keep up with the stranger, now known as Mingyu, and his rambling, so he lifted his hand to signal the other to take a break. Mingyu quickly got the signal and shut his mouth tight, leaving Wonwoo a moment to collect his thought and himself. It was not an everyday occurrence for him to meet clumsy and friendly strangers, but Wonwoo honestly didn’t have anything better to do than chat with the guy, so he decided to just go with it. </p><p>“Calm down, okay? I’m not gonna beat you up so there is no need to rush yourself” Wonwoo joked, attempting to disperse the slightly awkward air filling the room. “I’m Wonwoo, 3rd year student”. He was no social-butterfly like the ever-talkative Soonyoung, but he was not one to shy away from new interesting people and took this new acquaintance as a possible stroke of luck. </p><p>They boy seemed neither mean, stuck-up or too dumb, which instantly put him into Wonwoo’s good book. Being surrounded by idiots all day long had taught him to appreciate even the slightest sign of intelligence. Mingyu’s overeagerness was a bit overwhelming, but it was paired with an unusual honesty, leading to a very interesting mix of shocking energy and total authenticity. </p><p>“You are studying for the math test, right?” An energetic nod answered his question. “I could recognize Mr. Im’s horrifying textbook miles away, and his notes are no better. Where in this eloquent mess did you get to?” Wonwoo said, and the excitement which instantly lit up in the tall boy’s eyes reminded Wonwoo of an overeager puppy, wagging its tail at the first sight of affection. Practically falling back into his chair, Mingyu pulled out a thick math-textbook and hurriedly found the right page. </p><p>He had clearly gotten over his previous embarrassment and his body language seemed much more relaxed, which also put Wonwoo into a strangely comfortable mood. Mingyu’s actions and face held nothing back, and his unintentional display of genuine emotion, whether it was shame or excitement, made it hard not to like the guy.</p><p> Wonwoo pulled up a chair to the table where Mingyu began spreading his stuff, and they began discussing the best way to solve the different problems. </p><p>“How are you even supposed to use this one? I can’t figure out where which numbers are supposed to go”</p><p>“Can I see your notes? Thanks, now where… Ah, there it is”</p><p>“Sorry, I promise I wrote this myself, it isn’t like from somebody else, but I still have absolutely no idea what it means”</p><p>“Wait, there’s something wrong with it. Ah, it seems like dear Teacher Im has forgotten to write down the correct equation. The median and the standard deviation has been mixed up, so if you just move than one up here… No, that’s the variation, that one – there it is!”</p><p>“That’s it? It’s not even that difficult! How in the world did Mr. Im ever get hired?”</p><p>“He’s been here for too long, firing him would be like destroying a piece of the school’s history. He’s like … an ancient artifact. It would bring down a curse if he was removed, probably”</p><p>“I already feel cursed. Is it his fault maths are so weird?”</p><p>“You haven’t even reached the gates to statistic-hell yet. Just wait till you get to binomial distribution, then you’re really in for a ride”</p><p>“That sounds horrifying… Well, better just jump into the burning pits, right?”</p><p>“Fearless, I see. Sure, but get ready to get your brain fried”</p><p>Mingyu closed his workbook with a satisfying smack and groaned, stretching his back after being hunched over his work for the better part of an hour. He had surprised Wonwoo with his persistent approach to the task, and with some help the younger managed to finish both his homework and assignment just as classes let up and other students began dropping into the library. </p><p>Wonwoo leaned back in his chair as Mingyu gathered his pens and papers, wondering what he might have missed in class. It wasn’t too much of a problem since maths was a class he shared with Jihoon, who was both a math-genius and wrote the neatest notes ever, but one could never be sure if he would actually be willing to share them. </p><p>He broke free from his thoughts as Mingyu cleared his throat, sitting with his backpack on his lap and looking somewhat shy. “Hey, thank you for the help” he started throwing Wonwoo a small smile. “And I don’t want to impose or – like, this was just really nice! And you’re really good at explaining this stuff in a way which actually gets through to my brain. And I think it could really help if – “ Mingyu began waving his hands in front of him , “And if you don’t have the time or don’t want to, that’s a-okay! But could you perhaps… Like, help me? In the future as well?”</p><p>Mingyu was such an unusual guy. He was overwhelming, all over the place and so so loud. But he was evidently not overly confident or smug, instead showing his true feelings, unsure and clumsy. It was hard not to be charmed by him, just a bit. And that might (definitely) have played a part in his response, as he leaned forward and pushed the younger between the eyebrows with a finger, making his face scrunch up (adorably). </p><p>“Don’t get all ‘Senpai’ on me now. I’ll help you, okay? It’s a nice repetition for me either way”. His reply brought back the tail-wagging expression once again, and Wonwoo – quiet, calm, sarcastic Wonwoo – felt the urge to coo at him, or ruffle the floof of hair, or something similarly soft. He supressed the feeling as soon as it came, because what the <em>hell?</em> They barely knew each other, had only just agreed on a tutor-ship deal, and now he wanted to pat the boy on his head and praise his work?</p><p>Mingyu, to Wonwoo’s great relief, didn’t notice his internal struggle and had instead dug into his bag for a planner, already looking for a new free timeslot for their next session. Wonwoo finally managed to push his thoughts aside to deal with them at a later date, and they easily settle on a new study session. He sent Mingyu on his way to the cafeteria for their lunch, receiving even more ‘thank you’s and hopeful eyes, before collecting his own items and making his way towards the outdoor area, where he knew his friends were waiting. </p><p>Hopefully Jihoon wouldn’t spent too much time scolding him for skipping class and just let him read through his notes after a little begging. He hoped they wouldn’t ask him where he went, because oddly, he felt an urge to keep this to himself. There wasn’t really any reason not to tell them, Mingyu was just another student and it was normal for seniors to help the younger ones out, but he wanted to keep this from them. Just for some time, until he understood what was up with this sudden interest in a stranger. Just a little while.</p><p>Even though Wonwoo did not get to lounge in his ugly green chair, nor read his new book, he felt relaxed in a way he rarely did. He was not the type of person to randomly help people out with homework, god he could barely get himself to help Soonyoung off of the floor whenever he eventually fell over his own legs. </p><p>Maybe it was the atmosphere in the library, maybe it was Mingyu and his rather sweet clumsiness. Or maybe it was something like the books told him about, a connection you cannot name. But whatever it was, it made Wonwoo sit with a stranger in a mouldy library for an hour, and an hour again the next week and the week after that and the week after – you get the point.</p><p> </p>
<p></p><div>
  <p>
    <strong>***</strong>
  </p>
</div><p> </p><p>“Wait, so Mingyu from yesterday was the same Mingyu from Donglim? Kim grey-haired-killer-smile-super-hot Mingyu?” Soonyoung asked, looking quite surprised, and Wonwoo couldn’t blame him at all. The Mingyu from their high school days was very different from the current version of one Kim Mingyu, design-student and certified goofball. </p><p>He had been a grade below Wonwoo, Soonyoung and Jihoon, but his dazzling looks and perfect personality had made him the object of every girls fantasy and consequently every guys nightmare. </p><p>Back then, Wonwoo had no idea how much of that persona only existed to fit in with their peers, as the handsome boy kept mostly to himself and his small group of friends, but now it seemed almost impossible for the two different versions of Mingyu to be the same person. And although Soonyoung’s question made him want to rant about just how little anyone really knew him in those days, he wouldn’t share such thoughts without the younger’s approval. </p><p>Getting to know him had been quite the journey, and they had both gone through some serious change. But no matter how comfortable Mingyu might be in his skin now, it did not mean that Wonwoo could share his insecurities and fears with everyone. They were his to keep and his to share. So instead Wonwoo went with his usual go-to reaction when it came to his old friend; He sent him a cold judging look, topped off with a slight raise of the eyebrow. “Yeah, him”</p><p>“So you met him, became his tutor of sorts, and then what?” Seungkwan chirped, eyes shining with curiosity. Wonwoo could swear the kid had a sixth sense for gossip, with how he immediately knew that he had not told the entire story. Usually he would give in and just give the boy what he wanted, but he omitted specific parts for a reason, and he had no right to tell that story without Mingyu’s consent.</p><p>“We kept in contact after I graduated and became closer, I suppose. I helped him out in his last year of high school and during his break year, so we just naturally spent more time together” he ended up saying instead, and when Seungkwan opened his mouth to object, he sent him a silencing glare. “And yes, Boo-boo, we are together, but you better not pester me for details, or I <em>will</em> officially ban you from visiting Vernon when we write lyrics, are we clear?”</p><p>Seungkwan looked like he could explode at any moment, but wisely stayed quiet and instead whined into his boyfriends’ shoulder about the unfair, stupid hyung. Vernon shook his head with a laugh but snuggled closer to the older with a joyous smile, clearly loving the cute antics of his other half. The two had just recently moved in together and were even more sugar sweet than before, to the varying disgust and joy of the group.</p><p>Seokmin flashed a smile at the couple, always a sucker for romance, but then turned back to Wonwoo and continued the conversation. “I’m happy for the two of you Wonwoo-hyung. You seemed to be at ease with Mingyu and the others yesterday. I’m a bit sad you never mentioned that you kept in contact with him, but you had your reasons, didn’t you?”. </p><p>Wonwoo winced a bit, feeling sorry towards the other. He knew Mingyu and Seokmin had been very close during their high school days, but on the other hand he hadn’t been ready for the group to know about this part of his life until recently. He did not feel bad for not telling the group as a whole, but in hindsight he should probably at least have told Seokmin sooner. He and Seungkwan had been close to Mingyu back then, but they had lost contact with each other after graduation when they all left to realise their own dreams. </p><p>It was actually quite odd that they had never brought their two groups of friends together back in high school, as the almost all knew each other anyway. Wonwoo had spent his time with Jihoon and Soonyoung, finding their company to be both amusing and relaxing, but Seokmin, who was usually seen together with Seungkwan and Mingyu, dropped by their table often enough to be considered part of their group as well. It was even more odd that Seokmin never realized how close Mingyu and Wonwoo were, having been around both of them at the time, but as they never mentioned each other, the merge never happened. </p><p>Wonwoo and Seokmin hadn’t been very close per say, but after they had met again at the university, they had become much closer, at which point he probably should have mentioned knowing Mingyu. </p><p>After graduation, Wonwoo had stayed in contact with both Jihoon, Soonyoung and Seokmin, but Mingyu had never gotten around contacting any of his own friends, with the problems he was still working though at the time. Going off how great they all hit off with each other the previous night however, Wonwoo would give it two weeks tops before the old friends went out and did something stupid again, just as close as ever. </p><p>“I’m sorry for not bringing it up, really. Both to you and Seungkwan. It wasn’t that I wanted to keep him from you, or he didn’t want to reconnect or whatever, but so many things has been happening, and the situation was … complicated” he explained. </p><p>It was easy to become caught up in the troubles of the past, and Wonwoo could feel his thoughts begin to spiral. Jisoo, sensing his heavy mind, quickly leaned over to give his hands a comforting squeeze. Jisoo was one of the more empathic members of their group and had caught on to Wonwoo’s internal struggle between sharing the story and upholding trust. </p><p>“Wonwoo, it’s fine. We’re just glad you feel comfortable enough to tell us now. You clearly feel a whole lot of things for him, and you don’t have to explain it to us, it’s for the two of you to share” Jisoo reassured the younger, and Wonwoo let himself relax again, some of the guilt unwind itself.</p><p> He watched as Jisoo fell back into his seat between his partners and smiled as the two others hugged him closer. He had never really been jealous of the parent-trio’s dynamic, but for a second, he could see himself in their spot with his own trio around him. How he wished they could be there, if just to ease some of the storytelling onto them. He had barely gotten through the first story, but that left two more, and neither of them were any easier to explain.</p><p> But talk he would and going of how even Jihoon seemed to listen intently from his spot in the bean chair, it was time to move on to the next exiting story. Great.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>- Wonwoo has a lot of furniture. He also has a lot of friends. Who does not use said furniture, even though they were the ones to ask for it. This is self-projection. I like to sit on the floor. I am the annoying friend.</p>
<p>- I had to read through a Wikipedia page about binominal distribution for this. I have suffered and pray that I will never have to do so again.</p>
<p>- Mingyu definitely thought Wonwoo was a super-duper cool and (very) kinda hot senior, and he might from time to time have pretended to not understand something, just to get to see Wonwoo and his wonderful glasses.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Minghao</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“I don’t even know if it counts as a real first meeting, but my first encounter with Minghao was at my old job at the arts and craft store. It was so damn hot during the summer, it was probably against some labour law to let teens sweat to death in there, but it paid well so no one complained.” </p>
<p>Wonwoo could almost feel the heat cling to his skin just thinking about it, but he had indeed needed the money to save up for university. Soonyoung had been there with him that summer, and the face he pulled at the memory almost made Wonwoo laugh. Soonyoung had quit as soon as the summer ended and left for the nearby university, while Wonwoo kept the job throughout his gap year.</p>
<p>“Gosh, I am not going back to that store again. There were almost no costumers, but boss was intent on us not leaving even one second before time. I am never going to let myself be that desperate again, ever” Soonyoung recalled from his spot in the windowsill, dramatically shivering at the thought. </p>
<p>Seungcheol opened his mouth, probably to make the younger move to a safer spot, but Jeonghan slammed a hand over his lips before a sound could be uttered. Seungcheol looked mildly miffed, but let his boyfriend do whatever he wanted and kept quiet. Jeonghan always ended up getting things his way in the end, so there was no need to fight him on it.</p>
<p>“My sweet Wonwon, back on topic please.” Chan fake-gagged at Jeonghan’s overly sweet voice but sensing that it was probably better to get the story going, Wonwoo complied and continued his story. Better get over with it, right?</p>
<p>“How he got the idea that it was the proper weather to paint in, I have no idea, but Minghao came by on one of the hottest days during the summer break, in this super weird painting attire and …”</p>
<p> </p>
<p></p><div>
  <p>
    <strong>***</strong>
  </p>
</div><p> </p>
<p>Wonwoo prided himself with being very openminded and never judging anyone based on their appearance. He had never judged Jihoon for his introverted and standoffish personality, and he would say he handled Soonyoung coming out to him as asexual fairly well. When the bell above the door rang and a lanky teen strode into the store however, he had to reconsider his previous believes. That boy <em>had</em> to be a mess.</p>
<p>He looked like someone who had been the victim of a prank, with paint splashed all over his denim overalls and his striped tee underneath looked like it had been through the same treatment. A buckethat was firmly pulled down over his dark hair and kept his face hidden while he searched the shelves for whatever he needed. To finish it off, a worn neon green belt pack was strapped over one of his shoulder. Wonwoo had never seen such a style before and with how the colours almost hurt his eyes, he kind of wished he would never see it again. </p>
<p>Okay, the pain behind his eyes was probably from dehydration, but those colours were nonetheless something else.</p>
<p>The clock above the entrance told him it was about midday, and he had to question the teens sanity for a moment. It was scorching outside, and the air conditioning had definitely seen its better days, so it was a mystery to him why the boy would even have left the safety of his own house. Wonwoo kept glancing up from the stock documents he was filling out to observe the teen, who browsed through almost every aisle without actually picking anything. </p>
<p>As the stranger turned back to the selection of oil paints for the third time, Wonwoo left the paperwork at the register and went over to the boy.</p>
<p> Costumer service was a part of his job description, and while he was not the most outgoing person, he enjoyed helping others find whatever tools they needed for their creative projects. He had gotten so many new ideas for stories, just from listening to other people, which was one of the reasons why he was still working here, despite the terrible work conditions – the pay being the only other reason.</p>
<p>As he came closer Wonwoo could hear the teen mumbling to himself, his brow furrowed beneath his yellow hat. At first Wonwoo wondered if he was more dehydrated that he had though, as the words were completely incomprehensible, but when he got close enough to see the shopping list clutched in the youngers hand, he realised where he went wrong. </p>
<p>The list was written in Chinese, and with his new knowledge, he could recognize some of the words being muttered, like mom and present. He stepped closer to the boy, who had yet to recognise him, and addressed him in a low voice, as to not surprise him. </p>
<p>“Hello, may I help you with anything?” Wonwoo began and took a step back when the teen turned around with a snap, eyes wide with surprise. Wonwoo waited for the other to reply for a few seconds, and then turned his full attention to the teen when nothing came.  </p>
<p>“Are you looking for something specific?” he tried again, but once more he got no reply. The teen just stood there, staring right at him with wide eyes and screaming colours.</p>
<p>Annoyance began rising within Wonwoo, hoping to get at least some sort of reaction. He tried to be helpful, just to be ignored or at least without receiving any answer. It took a moment for his brain to process his sudden irritation, and another to understand why the other refused to reply, after which he felt impossibly stupid himself. </p>
<p>Chinese mumbling and a shopping list written in Chinese would lead to the conclusion that the boy also was Chinese. Which naturally also explained his silence. Because he didn't speak Korean. Because he was, as previously stated, Chinese. </p>
<p>Ten points for figuring out the obvious.</p>
<p>The youngers brows were pulled together, while he repeated Wonwoo’s words with a heavy accent, practically oozing confusion for anyone to see. Well, anyone who didn’t have a severe lack of water in their body. He ought to bring a water bottle with him to his next shift, otherwise he might end up attempting to help the mannequins find a hobby, by mistaking them for a costumer or just by going insane.</p>
<p>Meanwhile the younger began looking slightly agitated, being spoken to and not being able to understand nor reply. Wonwoo gave the boy a reassuring smile and tried to combine a somewhat understandable sentence in his terrible Chinese.</p>
<p> He had gone to some courses with Soonyoung when he went through his C-drama phase, and while that was not anything to brag about, since they spend more time watching said series than listening, it would have to make do. </p>
<p>“Nǐ bù huì shuō … hányǔ ma?”, <em>do you not speak Korean</em>,  he tried, internally screaming in embarrassment at his own words, but apparently he did not mess the tones up enough for it to be completely trash, as it got a hesitant “no” in Korean as reply. His eyebrows did not leave their furrowed position, but his shoulders relaxed, and he began trying to piece together the Korean phrases he knew, imitating Wonwoo’s attempt at Chinese. </p>
<p>“I need … yóuqī … this?” he tried, pointing at one of the displayed tubes of paint, and Wonwoo’s understanding nod was rewarded with the others frown giving way to a less stressed expression. </p>
<p>Keeping their stumbling conversation going, Wonwoo gestured to the rest of the oil paints. “This kind of … yóuqī?” He inquired in Korean but repeating the teens word, and subsequently pointed at the watercolours behind them, then the acrylic ones near the register, when the teen didn’t seem to understand him. </p>
<p>It took a few moments, during which Wonwoo cursed himself for not listening during the course and the teen’s body began tensing up again, but the other eventually seemed to understand what the elder meant and pointed at the oil paints. </p>
<p>Amazement replaced his former confusion and irritation, and for once his job actually felt exiting. It was generally a very dull job, helping mothers and their screaming toddlers find suitable colouring pens or directing the flood of elderly women find the postcard selection, even though it had always been placed at the same spot. This however was something new, and it was an incredible feeling to make yourself understandable without speaking the same language. </p>
<p>Trying to narrow down the search, Wonwoo ransacked his brain for the Chinese word for colour, but not coming up with anything, he tried in Korean. “What colour?” he said, keeping the sentence as simple as possible, smile widening just a bit when the other’s frown finally slipped of his face, as he turned back to the selection. </p>
<p>Instead of trying to name the colours, he simply pulled the tubes out from the shelves and turned back to Wonwoo with them. He had chosen the red, white, black and yellow, but looked hesitantly at the blue and red, like they had disappointed him somehow. </p>
<p>“Is the colour wrong?” Wonwoo tried, and while the boy didn’t seem to understand his words, he seemed like he understood the meaning. He pointed to the red paint tube and then acted like he was tuning a volume button down and looked expectantly at Wonwoo, who was not sure how to interpret the others miming. Was it too much colour? The wrong colour? </p>
<p>When the elder didn’t give any sign of understanding, the teen looked around, and then pointed at the paint covering his overalls, tapping on an orange-red spot. There was the hint of a smile on the boy’s lips, as he looked up from under his yellow hat, eyes shining with mirth. </p>
<p>Wonwoo let out an amused huff before throwing up an okay- sign with his hand. They did have a colour like that in the storage, so it wouldn’t be a problem to find what the other needed.</p>
<p>They continued in a similar manner, finding the right size canvas and a good sketchbook and eraser. They began adopting each other’s words, using a weird mix of their different mother languages, and adding some body language when words didn’t suffice.</p>
<p> When they had finally collected everything, the proper paints and tools, Wonwoo went to the register to ring him up, and when he handed over the bag containing the boy’s purchases, he couldn’t help but call out to the boy one last time. </p>
<p>The choice of colours and canvas, a long and narrow one, was definitely unusual, and has piqued his curiosity. No one bought the narrow canvases unless they had a clear idea of what they wanted to paint, but even then, it was very limited what you could do with it. The teen had been mumbling about his mother and something with presents during their little walk through the shop, but never enough to give a clear context.</p>
<p>“Hey, what are you going to paint?” Wonwoo inquired as he received the boy’s payment, coins and bills from a black purse with intricate white drawings on it. The boy’s initial frustration with the complicated communication had melted away and after a moment to process the question, he looked down at the bag in silence for a moment. </p>
<p>“Tàiyáng hé yuèliang . Sun and… moon. And human. For māma de shēngri, to thank” he answered, with apparent fondness when mentioning his mother. For a moment a tiny smile appeared, and it was gone as soon as he looked back up, but it made Wonwoo think of what history might be behind the painting. There was a profound warmth to his voice, which contrasted with the loud colours of his clothing and his slightly rough interactions.</p>
<p>The teen left the store with a slight bow and a muttered thanks, but even when the bell rang out and the colours disappeared, Wonwoo felt like the room was just slightly brighter than before.<br/>
A second after, dizziness and a ponding headache hit him. </p>
<p>Maybe it was all just the dehydration, he mused as he stuck his mouth underneath the running tap in the bathroom, the only room with a functioning tab. But it stuck with him, the excitement of communication beyond words and the tiny, almost non-existing smile brought forth by the thought of a mother. The shine of a sun and of a moon. </p>
<p>It was quite poetic when he thought about it. The two were always seen as opposites, two completely different colour pallets, different energies, and yet were so dependent on each other, connected, never whole without the other. They contradicted everything about each other, but they were a pair without compare. </p>
<p>When the clock hit five and Wonwoo finally left the store, the heat was no longer heavy or oppressive and the sun, low on the sky but not yet gone, made him want to grab a pen and write about the shine of day and night.</p>
<p> </p>
<p></p><div>
  <p>***</p>
</div><p> </p>
<p>When he ended his story no one said anything for a while, which didn’t really surprise Wonwoo. The story wasn’t really all that exiting after all and nothing really happened afterwards. They had met back then but hadn’t seen each other more than twice in the store afterwards, and it wasn’t before they met through Mingyu that they became close.</p>
<p>“So, you met back then and kept in contact or what?” Jihoon injected from his armchair, and while it was surprising he was the one to break the silence, the judgemental tone he used was definitely not. “How did he go from a weird teen with a bad fashion sense to … whatever it is he is now?”</p>
<p>“I didn’t even know his name, of course we didn’t keep in contact! He was just a strange but interesting stranger back then, and I don’t think it would have turned out super well if I had asked him for his number or something like that” Wonwoo retorted, recalling the younger’s quick temper. “I would most likely have gotten a fist to face or end up being cursed out in Chinese.”</p>
<p>Jeonghan looked less than impressed with the story. “Then you were just teasing us with that story! You and your horrible writer habits – when did you <em>actually</em> get to know him?” he demanded, crossing his arms, and sending a doubtful glare in Wonwoo’s direction. </p>
<p>He clearly didn’t think the younger would disclosure any juicy details, and he was not wrong, but Jeonghan was also big on not demanding the entire story. He was very loud in voicing his desire for it but stayed respectful of others privacy. Wonwoo secretly believed it was something Jeonghan despised about himself, since it hindered his snooping, but even he was weighted down by some kind of moral codex.</p>
<p>But it was true that Wonwoo owed them at least a bit more of the story. “By some weird coincidence, Minghao ended up moving into the same flat as Mingyu when they both started at the university. I came by to help Mingyu move his stuff and then met Minghao.” </p>
<p>He let out an amused huff and smiled at the memory. “Of course I couldn’t remember his face but he had for some reason framed the yellow bucket hat he was wearing back then and hung it in the living room, and  I don’t think I could ever forget that one. We talked some, and then time went on. Gyu and Hao naturally became close, and since I came by to see Gyu, Minghao and I got to know each other as well. It just… happened”</p>
<p>Of course there was more to it than that, and the two flatmates had definitely had their downs before their ups, but in the end they had figured out how to work together and fill in where the other was lacking. With Minghao in his arts major and Mingyu doing fashion and apparel, they finally had someone they could share their creative ideas with and who could give helpful feedback. Colour had been Minghao’s forte, while Mingyu had always excelled in combining textures and shapes, and their creations had improved exponentially over time.</p>
<p>Their friendship went on from there, with playful fights and quite a lot of annoyed fondness from Minghao’s side whenever Mingyu somehow dropped a plate or new project. Wonwoo only truly became part of their friendship when he had been temporarily kicked out of his own room, due to a broken pipe, and moved in with the two others. It happened to be around the final exams as well, and the mix of extreme focus, exhaustion and lowkey insanity from the sleep deprivation brought Wonwoo and Minghao much closer. </p>
<p>The last day of their exams had been celebrated with a movie night, which might have ended with several realisations and subsequently some kissing to the soundtrack of Howl’s Moving Castle. </p>
<p>That part of the story however was not one he was keen on letting the others know about. God knows what they would do with that information, but Wonwoo really didn’t want to take the chance and risk waking up to his room plastered with meme-ifications of that particular night.</p>
<p>“Wait, you … Wonwoo, you have not only been hiding your other friends from us, but your boyfriends?!” Soonyoung screeched and tumbled down from his seat on the windowsill, fortunately onto the hard floor below and not the pavement outside. </p>
<p>Of course a fall to the pavement below would offer him a bit more peace and quiet, but alas, Wonwoo unfortunately cared too much about him to wish for that.</p>
<p>His exclamation was not forgotten despite his fall though, and while Seokmin rubbed the others shoulder which seemed to have taken most of the damage, the faces of the remaining seven men all showcased varying degrees of shock and astonishment.</p>
<p> It was almost worth having to explain the situation to see their frozen faces, and he was a little surprised no one had come to that conclusion yet. Naturally the group had only met the others once, and just the day before, but with both Seungkwan and Jeonghan, and their shared sixth senses for secrets, he had imagined someone would sniff it out instantly. </p>
<p>“Yes I have, and for this exact reason. How would I be able to tell you without instantly also throwing them into your interrogation? Within seven minutes, Soon would have their address, Kwan would know all about their social network and Jeonghan-hyung would be ready use that information to turn up at their doorstep and probe them for answers – don’t even deny it!” Wonwoo argued. None of the three mentioned bothered to reply to the accusation, since his words did hold much truth, but that didn’t stop their complaining either.</p>
<p>Jisoo seemed to be the least surprised by the news, even less than Jihoon, who would never show any interest in anyone’s love life, even though he secretly got all his gossip from Soonyoung. Noticing Wonwoo’s curious glance, Jisoo smiled sheepishly and shrugged. </p>
<p>“I might have kind-of guessed it already?” he admitted, instantly gaining the full attention of both his boyfriends. “How did you know about it?” Seungcheol asked, with Jeonghan grumbling his own addition of “and why didn’t you tell us, you little traitor …”.</p>
<p>“I wasn’t sure!” Jisoo hurriedly defended, “I met Minghao back at the Foreigner Association’s little summer party, and he mentioned something about having to get home to the two big idiots. That together with when you asked me about how our relationship worked, and then watching you yesterday, made it pretty obvious”. </p>
<p>It took a minute for his words to register in Wonwoo’s mind, and then a little longer to suppress his laughter at the image of Minghao’s grumpy face while complaining about his boyfriends.</p>
<p>Compared to Mingyu and his soft nature, Minghao had always been the tough-love kind of partner, but one with an enormous hidden caretaker instinct. He would be the kind to yell at you for being a “stupid faced damn idiot” when you got hurt, while simultaneously wrapping you in a blanket. And if you complained about being hungry, he would throw a pack of snacks at your head full force, but it would always be your favourite kind, because he remembered things like that.</p>
<p>The idea that the boy would casually insult his partners when talking about them was very fitting.</p>
<p>“That does sound exactly like him” Wonwoo mused softly with a huff, ignoring the fond looks he got from around the room. He probably looked strangely lovestruck, and while he got that they most likely were happy for him, they could keep their smug looks to themselves. He knew that this side of him was not one they had seen often before, but they would get used to it. It was just his default face when it came to his boys.</p>
<p>“But yeah, that’s how it is. I have two boyfriends and didn’t tell you because we have a gossip central and an overprotective snoopy parent in the group chat” Wonwoo finished off cleanly, hoping for a swift transit to the next topic. It wasn’t that he was embarrassed about his relationship or anything, but he had two reasons for it wanting to delve too much into details.</p>
<p>One, he just didn’t want to. There was no need to feed the gossip mills more than necessary, and he didn’t feel that they needed to know any more than what he had told them.</p>
<p>Two, he had not yet talked with any of the three about what they felt comfortable sharing. They each had their own problems, and while they had already set down some general guidelines, Wonwoo wasn’t sure how much they would like him to tell. Especially with Minghao, who had made Wonwoo feel like he was walking on a minefield as they got to know each other. There had been some explosions along the way, and it wouldn’t be right to share those without the others consent. </p>
<p>Chan, having a normal person’s intuition of when to leave a subject, raised his hand and waited for the others to quiet down. “Then what about Junhui?” he asked, lowering his arm. “You said ‘two boyfriends’, and if he is not in that category, then what is he?”. </p>
<p>Now he wished they had never changed the topic. Damnit.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>- I have very sweaty hands so during the summer I can basically not do anything with them unless I want to wipe them down every 5 minutes or make whatever I touch wet. Thus, I have no prior experience in painting in extreme heat. Also, how does paint react to hot weather? I didn’t research enough for this, evidently.</p>
<p>- 3 years of proper-kinda Chinese lessons are behind this, which really isn’t a lot, along with the help of lovely Wenlin. I do apologise if there are any mistakes in tones and spelling, but I think it should be correct. If not, then please do correct me!</p>
<p>- Minghao did not have an easy time settling in Korea, but painting became a creative outlet for his feelings, which later became an interest for several artforms. He often gifts his paintings to Wonwoo or Junhui, since he lives with Mingyu and they seriously do not have space for any more artworks.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Junhui</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“You’re not just stringing him along right?” Jihoon demanded, crossing his arms. “Were you hiding this from us because you’re secretly a bastard playboy?”</p><p>“What the – Whe – Why would you jump to that conclusion?!” Wonwoo spluttered.</p><p>“I don’t know. What else would I come up with?”</p><p>“Something that actually made sense maybe!”</p><p>“Well, what if Minseo and I suddenly introduced you to this super kind and naïve kid, who we were all cuddly and soft and shit with, and then said ‘oh no, we only have each other, kiss kiss’? What would <em>you</em> think, idiot?”</p><p>Okay, maybe it made a lot of sense to think that.</p><p>“Alright, point taken”. Wonwoo lowered his head and fiddled with his hands for a moment, to gather his thoughts. He could see how wrong it easily looked, for them to be four together but only three of them as boyfriends. “But it isn’t like that. Don’t worry, he has a lot more spunk than you think, he wouldn’t let himself be played like that. Really, trust me” he assured and looked at his friends. </p><p>It warmed his heart to see most of them nod, trusting his words, although Jihoon still looked a bit suspicious.</p><p>Jeonghan threw a pillow at the short producer, snorting at his behaviour. “Give the man a chance to explain before you begin plotting his demise, Jihoon-ah. Although,” he paused and narrowed his eyes at Wonwoo,” it better be a good one. If not, I might just join in on the plotting myself”. </p><p>He knew that their threats were completely, or mostly, empty, but Wonwoo was prepared to defend himself – and the three others – either way.</p><p>“Junhui is …” Wonwoo hesitated for a moment, not sure how to describe the elder. “He’s a bit different. I’m not judging him or anything – come on Jihoon, don’t give me that look!”</p><p>“You’re on thin ice, buddy”</p><p>Wonwoo wanted to slap somebody. Maybe Soonyoung, he looked a bit tired anyway. The satisfaction of slapping anyone wouldn’t help him out of this though, so he went on, attempting to save himself from further misunderstandings.</p><p>“There is nothing wrong with him in any way, but he just … works a bit differently than others.” Once again, he would have to walk the line between maintaining Junhui’s privacy and giving a proper explanation. It wasn’t exactly easy. </p><p>Luckily, he knew that the elder had given all three of them explicit permission to talk about some specific parts of his ‘different-ness’, so at least Wonwoo could relay their first meeting without overstepping any limits.</p><p>“I think Minghao was slightly acquainted with Junhui before I met him myself, but they had only met through mutual friends or something. I met him about six months ago or so, during the exam period before Christmas.” Appropriate groans were given from all around. “Mingyu had wanted the three of us to meet and give some opinions on his final designs, so Minghao and I were waiting in the cafeteria. We were bored, and Minghao had a deck of playing cards in his bag for some reason, so we began …”</p><p> </p>
<p></p><div>
  <p>
    <strong>***</strong>
  </p>
</div><p> </p><p>Wonwoo was absolutely sure that Minghao had been a gambler in his former life. One hundred percent bomb-and-bullet-proof sure.</p><p>It was almost artistic how he handled the cards, shuffling them and nimbly arranging them like a fan in his hand, just so he could infuriatingly fan himself with them while Wonwoo made his move. Not only was it his handling, but it also had to be impossible to be as good at playing as the younger without a professional background. </p><p>Minghao assured Wonwoo it was just because he sucked.</p><p>“And one more point for me. You lose. Again.”</p><p>“You’re cheating! We had already played all other aces!”</p><p>“I guess you have already become too old to remember properly, huh?”</p><p>“You – If you cared about my age you would know to respect your elders, you little shit!”</p><p>Minghao had once learned to perfectly replicate the manners of an old James Bond villain to win a bet, but he had come to summon the spirit of those villains at the most infuriating moments. That annoying face, the perfectly arched eyebrow and the confident tilt of his lips. Wonwoo had tried to create a word to describe this annoyingly annoying face, but he always ended up doing a 360 degree turn and end up with ‘annoying’ again.</p><p>The aggravation on the elder’s face brought forth a playful smile from Minghao, enjoying the fruit of his teasing. He began counting his cards, smile still in place, and considered “Hmm, what should we eat today, now that the almighty Jeon-purse is in play?”. Triumphantly he put down his cards, and when Wonwoo faceplanted into the table acknowledging defeat, he leaned back in his chair and continued. </p><p>“Maybe some nice bibimbap? Or perhaps jajjangmyeon?” A theatrical gasp, followed by an awestruck “Or what about both?!”</p><p>Annoying annoyingly terrible lovable wonderful <em>annoying</em> brat.</p><p>Wonwoo raised his head from the table, intent on sending a scolding look, but the younger had held the fake-surprised look, and the both burst out laughing as soon as their eyes met. </p><p> Still chuckling, the older pulled his purse out of his bag and dragged the smug Chinese with him to get their food. As they made their way towards the line, Minghao checked his phone and a small frown appeared between his brows. “Shouldn’t Mingyu have been here by now? It’s been almost twenty minutes…”</p><p>Wonwoo copied the other’s actions and checked his phone as well. No new notifications. It wasn’t unusual for the design student to run late, but he had never let them hanging for more than five minutes without at least shooting a text with an explanation and a dozen emojis. Wonwoo was about to reply Minghao when his phone went off and the name ‘Pup’ popped up, earning a groan from the other who was peeking at his screen. </p><p>“Pup? Really Wonwoo?”. The owner of the phone levelled him with a blank look. “You want to know what your name is, sweet cheeks?”. Minghao winced, motioning for the older to pick it up, and Wonwoo let out a small laugh as he did so. “Hey Gyu, what’s holding you up?”</p><p>“… Erh, so I think I might need your help, hyung?”</p><p>Wonwoo felt his internal alarm system go off. Mingyu didn’t sound like someone who had dropped his papers in a corridor or forgotten his laptop in the lecture hall. He sounded like someone who had accidentally pulled the pin on a grenade and didn’t know what to do with the silvery bit.</p><p>“Sure Gyu,” Wonwoo reassured calmly, “what’s happening? Are you okay?”. The older couldn’t remember anything special Mingyu might be stressing over, besides his project which they were supposed to help him work on. There were no other deadlines or social events coming up which could be the source of problems, and considering that he did not sound fearful himself, Wonwoo had no idea what this problem might entail.</p><p>A bit of rustling could be hear from the other line, and when the sound of someone panting reached the older, the wrinkle between his eyebrows deepened.</p><p>“Mingyu, are you still there? Where are you pup?” Wonwoo worried, trying to keep his own concern out of his voice. He sent Minghao a glance, and the other seemed to pick up on the sudden change of plans, nodding at him once before turning back to their table and collecting their bags. </p><p>Wonwoo followed him and tried to figure out where the younger might be, when the breathing quieted down for a moment and Mingyu’s voice sounded once again.</p><p>“Sorry hyung, I just – I’m near the psychology department, with the small café. Can you come – Oh hey, nonono. Slow down now, it’s okay…” The younger’s voice cut of once again, talking to someone away from the phone. Though it was clear in his tone that he was not all that calm, he managed to keep his voice from raising, maintaining a soothing lull to his words. Wonwoo would be sure to commend him for keeping it together so well later.</p><p>Grabbing his own backpack from Minghao, he gestured towards the Chinese with his head and lead the way out of the cafeteria. “We’re on our way, just wait”. A hum and the line cut off. </p><p>Luckily the Department of Psychology was not too far away, and due to the time of the day there weren’t many students around, leaving them free to rush down the corridors without any repercussion.</p><p>After passing the café and searching a few hallways, the duo finally found a familiar messenger bag laying besides a small niche. And as they reached it, Mingyu and an unfamiliar figure became visible from behind the wall, along with a puddle of coffee. </p><p>Picking up on the incoming steps, Mingyu looked up with a relieved expression. He moved back from where he had been hugging the foreign figure to face the two newcomers, keeping an arm around the others shoulder. This revealed the curled-up body of the unknown man, showing the entire coffee stain on his shirt, previously hidden. His face was hidden between his arms and knees, but from the hitching of his shoulders and suppressed sobbing noises, it was not difficult to figure out his state of mind.</p><p>Despite how Wonwoo emphasised the importance of verbal communication, he could only praise the heavens for his and Minghao’s shared silent eye-signal language in situations like these. It took no more than a fleeting look at the younger and another at the two men on the floor for him to get the message. The younger calmly sat beside Mingyu, who had let go of his steady façade and relaxed into his boyfriend’s arms.</p><p>Replacing Mingyu, Wonwoo carefully brough his arm around the unknown student, and rubbed along his upper arm to calm him down. The smell of sweetened coffee was strong, and the intense scent was disorienting. It almost made him miss Mingyu’s words when he began explaining his circumstance, encouraged by Minghao. </p><p>“Sorry, I was just working on the designs and changing the colours for the theme all night, so I woke up exhausted. And then we had a new group assignment again which dragged the lesson out, and I needed to hurry to meet you, but I was so tired so I thought a cup of coffee might help but – “</p><p>Minghao had become an expert at understanding what Mingyu needed after rooming with him for almost two years and knew when to stop his roommate before he worked himself up too much. A firm but gentle hand on his lower arm helped ground him and another slowly worked to ease the tension in Mingyu’s shoulders and neck.  It was always heart-warming to see the two treat each other with such tender attentiveness, much different from their usual bickering love language. </p><p>But despite the sweet moment, Wonwoo could not ignore the person, the stranger, whom he was currently holding close in his arms. Who had also begun shaking and looked a bit pale from what of his face was visible. Perhaps admiring his boyfriends would have to wait for a moment.</p><p>Minghao looked down the hallway and got onto his feet, pulling Mingyu along with him, who was now significantly less panicked. “It seems like the lessons are starting soon” he announced. “Perhaps we should get this cleaned up and get out of the way”.</p><p>The stranger curled even tighter around himself at the words, and Wonwoo sent the two others a tense smile, mind busy working out a plan. </p><p>“Can you find something to clean this up with and get the giant a new coffee? He looks like he’s about to keel over” he suggested. Minghao replied with an affirming nod and Mingyu, looking a bit reluctant to leave the older but having no energy to argue, simply went along. The two disappeared in the direction of the café, leaving Wonwoo alone with the still unknown person.</p><p>He hadn’t said anything since Minghao and Wonwoo appeared, but based on the papers scattered around them – which Wonwoo hadn’t even noticed before – it seemed he was probably a student from the department, who had finished his classes before being run over by a certain giant. Mingyu’s coffee had splashed over him, his notes flying everywhere, and boom – a tight ball of anxiety and brown hair.</p><p>“Okay, now it’s just the two of us”, Wonwoo started, hoping he had read the others signals correctly, and had done correctly in making the others leave. He could just barely feel the other loosening his tight grip on his arms, but it did happen which Wonwoo took as a signal to continue. “I know you probably don’t want to move right now, but do you think you could walk over to that study room? I won’t leave you, but we don’t want to be here when everyone comes back from lunch, right?”.</p><p> A few moments passed in silence before the stranger raised his head enough to look into Wonwoo’s eyes, showing his own watery and hazy ones, and after a few more seconds without reply, the stranger gave a tiny nod. He unfurled himself with shaky movements and unsteadily got onto his feet. </p><p>His tears had left a wet spot on Wonwoo’s shoulder, which clung to his skin as he also rose, but it was nothing compared to the other’s sleeves, which were almost completely drenched. </p><p>Wonwoo left their bags for the others to retrieve later and put an arm around the unnamed man, supporting his weak steps as the walked to the nearest study room and let themselves in.</p><p>Settling themselves on the floor, Wonwoo turned his attention to the other, who seemed to be somewhere between getting into another bout of tears and calming down. Going with his gut and shuffling up beside him, Wonwoo held onto the other the other’s hands and gently massaged it, giving the other a moment to settle. Before he could ask the stranger anything, the man raised his head himself and looked at Wonwoo with tears still flooding down his cheeks.</p><p>“M’sorry. I din’ mean to take up your time …” he mumbled, his words muddled by the tears and snot. “I can handl’ it from here. Than’ you for your help, it’as very kind of you.” A wobbly smile followed, and the student moved his hand back to make space for Wonwoo to remove himself. </p><p>It was all very sweet and very stupid Wonwoo thought, but he dismissed the other’s signals and moved so he could face the stranger more clearly.</p><p>“Can you tell me your name?” He replied instead. He wasn’t about to leave someone in the middle of an anxiety attack, no matter how adamant the other was going to be.</p><p>Perhaps questions were the way to go, as some of the anxiety was replaced by puzzlement. He seemed to wonder why Wonwoo didn’t just leap out of the room but replied “Junhui… or Junhwi if tha’s easier”. </p><p>Through the tears and tension, Wonwoo hadn’t spared any attention for the other – Junhui’s pronunciation, but now the slight tilt to his words seemed so obvious, so familiar. Placing a careful hand on Junhui’s knee, Wonwoo smiled reassuringly.</p><p>“If you spend your time and energy learning my language, the least I can do is to pronounce your name properly, Junhui” He teased gently, receiving a small huff for his efforts. “I’m Wonwoo. But don’t apologise, it’s not your fault. Nor is it a bother to me.” Junhui looked like he was going to protest, but Wonwoo needed to finish his words and went on. “Will you let me stay with you until you’re better? I don’t want to impose, and if you really don’t want to I’ll leave, but you really don’t look like someone who should be alone right now.”</p><p>Junhui, under the tears and redness, looked shocked but nodded and slowly leaned back against the wall. Wonwoo simply kept his hand where it was and observed the other as he began breathing purposely in and out, while pressing his back against the wall. The actions were controlled and spoke of much practice. It clearly wasn’t new to him.</p><p>While Junhui kept at it with his breathing exercises, Wonwoo felt his phone vibrate and pulled it from his pocket. Minghao had sent a picture of Mingyu sitting in the café with a new cup of coffee, lips pouting slightly. ‘The pup has been taken care of and would very much like to apologise’ followed by “you owe me tho’. And a notification from their expense-sharing app.</p><p>“Brat” Wonwoo grumbled and got a brief laugh from Junhui, who was significantly calmer, but now getting the aftershocks and looking ready to drop. “Hey Junhui, would it be alright if the two guys from before came by? I think Mingyu needs to apologise, otherwise he will explode with guilt.”</p><p>Wonwoo knew he wasn’t particularly funny, but either Junhui had just as bad humour as himself or he was just exceptionally nice, because he laughed once more and hummed in affirmation. Throwing a text back to Minghao, Wonwoo moved from the floor and sat in one of the plastic chairs and gestured for Junhui to do the same. </p><p>The other had clearly gotten some of his strength back, as he moved steadily and with barely any shaking. They sat in silence like that for a while, Junhui’s eyes flying around the room as Wonwoo observed him, before Junhui’s eyes settled on him.</p><p>“Thank you, for this” Junhui blurted out and scratched the back of his neck. “For staying and calming me down. You don’t even know me and still you let me wet your shirt.” He curled his shoulders in slightly, probably embarrassed by himself. Wonwoo understood where the feeling was coming from, having shown your most vulnerable side to someone without meaning to, and then to a complete stranger. Despite that, he also knew how fruitless it was to indulge in such thoughts when there was no way of erasing what had already happened. </p><p>Deciding he wasn’t having any of that, Wonwoo playfully slapped the other’s knee, and teased. “Hey, if you’re going to use me as a Kleenex, you should at least be proud of it! I don’t napkin-ise myself for just anyone”.</p><p> He would never have imagined that the shaking, panicky boy would have such a loud laugh, but the sound from Junhui was loud, free and joyous, if a bit manic. Naturally he would be out of it after such an episode, but something within Wonwoo stirred at the sound, surprising himself by wishing the other wouldn’t hide his smile behind his hands as he did. The pretty wrinkles at his eyes, the weird hitching of his breath when inhaling, the stomping feet which –</p><p>The unexpected line of through was broken when the door opened, and Mingyu sheepishly went inside, followed by Minghao who was busy holding onto all four of their bags. Junhui seemed to flinch just a bit at their arrival but didn’t even have time to be surprised before Mingyu was rushing up to him, spewing endless apologies. </p><p>Wonwoo worried for a second if the sudden confrontation would bring forth a new bout of panic, or if he would react to Mingyu’s sincerity with distain, thinking it too friendly for social standards. There was a reason why hwé had dubbed him ‘pup’: Mingyu had endless energy, ate anything he could get his hands on and would greet strangers with all the kindness contained in his huge heart.</p><p>Wonwoo felt his heart settle in his chest when Junhui began reassuring Mingyu that he was fine, – “No no, there’s no need to buy me coffee to apologize -” “What about tea? Minghao has a super nice stash of super great white tea, and green tea, oh and one really good blackcurrant –“ “Really, there’s no need to!” –, he turned to the final person in the room. </p><p>Minghao was still holding onto their heavy bags, but his attention was directed at the two people across the room, who were now in some sort of squabble of whether Mingyu was guilty or not in the crime of causing a panic and staining a shirt. If he didn’t know any better, he would have though Minghao found the argument irritating, but the wrinkle at his eye revealed his suppressed mirth.</p><p>A soft nudge with an elbow made the younger break out of his stupor, and with another eyebrow-conversation they decided to get on with things, before anyone who had actually booked the room showed up.</p><p> “Junhui”, Wonwoo broke through the squabbling, waiting until the boy looked their way, “Would it be alright if we followed you home? After all this, it would make me – us – feel better to know you had arrived safely”. Mingyu lit up at the chance to somehow redeem himself after the accident and turned his hopeful eyes at Junhui.</p><p>“Oh, I don’t want to –“ He started, shy under the three pairs of eyes. Then he looked at them for a moment, studying their faces, before straightening up and looked directly at Wonwoo with a new determination in his eyes. “No wait, I would actually like that a lot. I think. Thanks.” </p><p>It was odd. The three of them had been friends for two years now, had been together for one, and never had any of them caught interest in someone else. They had an unusual relationship, and all believed that love could extend beyond just one person, but no one had been a possible fourth candidate. And yet there was something about this weird boy which had made all of them look at him, look closely, and then look even closer. Mingyu might be caught up in his usual apologetic behaviour, but his smile was just a tad softer than usual, his hands a bit more careful in their gesturing. </p><p>And when Minghao handed Junhui his forgotten messenger bag, there was the gist of a flame in his eyes, a flicker of intrigue and affection.  A “thank you” was returned by a “méiguānxi”, and in the following carefully curious questions from their new acquaintance, the gist caught onto something and became stable, something no longer as temporary. </p><p>Mingyu walked alongside Wonwoo as the groups began their walk to Junhui’s flat, leaving the two Chinese to converse in their mother tongue, but his eyes would periodically fall onto the new face. It did not hold the same intenseness of Minghao, instead showcasing a more immediate interest, a want to get to know, to unwrap.</p><p>It was all so quick, the way this new person was suddenly in their midst, filling out a spot none of them knew they had held open. But if Wonwoo had learned anything in his life, from meeting Mingyu at a library in a terrible mood, and unconsciously letting Minghao steal away a piece of his heart, it was that life hit you in unexpected ways and inconsequent paces. </p><p>Perhaps this new piece was just another unforeseen event which hit hard and stuck its landing. </p><p>Perhaps unexpected actions were contagious. Perhaps that was the reason why they left Junhui to turn into his flat with three new numbers in his contact list, one in Korean, one in Chinese and one mostly kaomojis.</p><p> No matter the reason or cause, Wonwoo felt at peace walking his two most important people back to their shared home, one hand in Mingyu’s and one swaying at his side. Minghao was discussing colours and patterns with Mingyu, his arm interlocking with Mingyu’s on the other side, and Wonwoo held tight onto the empty air beside him, where the potential for something more followed them all the way home. </p><p> </p>
<p></p><div>
  <p>
    <strong>***</strong>
  </p>
</div><p> </p><p>”… And after a few days Junhui reached out to us, inviting us over for a thank you-dinner or something. That ended up bringing back Mingyu’s guilt, and then he cooked dinner for us, and at that point Minghao wanted to share his hometown specials with Jun, so that became another one.” Wonwoo continued and took a sip of the tea Jisoo had handed him during his recount. </p><p> It wasn’t usually him who had the most interesting stories to relay, and he was not used to the dry feeling from speaking so much. “He just fit in, and it wasn’t hard to add one more plate at the dinner table or an extra mattress for movie nights. Sometimes he’ll calls one of us if he’s not feeling well, and it’s not like we are unused to getting sudden visits, so he’ll just come over for the evening. It just … happened, I suppose. Him, joining in on our trio”</p><p>Jihoon’s gaze had lost most of its murder intent, but still looked wary. “Does he know that you and Mingyu and Minghao are <em>together</em> together?” If the distrust hadn’t been aimed at himself, Wonwoo would have found Jihoon’s sudden protectiveness of a virtual stranger a little amusing, but sadly it was and meant more explaining.</p><p>“Yeah, we haven’t exactly been subtle about it, you might say. He did ask us about it as well, so it’s not just some ‘I-think-he-knows-but-perhaps-not’ stuff, and I honest to god don’t think it’s possible to miss the heart eyes Mingyu throws his way with some five minutes intervals, but …” he trailed off. If only he had had time to prepare his thoughts beforehand, it would have been clear-cut and easy to understand. </p><p>This was a part of why he had begun writing in the first place, because the pages let you take your time, let you find the right words and revise your product before presenting it to the world. This was real life however, proceeding with the cruel passage of time, and Wonwoo would just have to do his best.</p><p>Soonyoung was rarely serious about much beside his dance and Seokmin, but he was remarkably sober when he took the word after Wonwoo’s voice had faded out. “Is he aro? Is that why?” he inquired. Soonyoung had been well-known in their high school days for his upbeat personality and fun-loving attitude, but what Wonwoo had always appreciated about his friend was his honesty and compassion for the people around him. </p><p>He had fought with himself to accept himself, to accept that perhaps he wasn’t wrong for not being interested in sex, or the opposite gender for that matter, and had come out with a completely new confidence and self-awareness. It had been Soonyoung who opened Wonwoo’s eyes to the different realities outside of what the mainstream novels and movies provided, the true fluidity behind the stone-set ‘normal’ expectations.</p><p> And after three years of joking flirtation between Soonyoung and Seokmin, it had been a joyous occasion when the former confessed his feelings, and fears of being inadequate in certain regards. Seokmin had answered with a goofy smile, a blush and a “duh, same”, a weirdly adorable and appropriate response. The couple had become like a pair of twin suns orbiting around each other ever since, showering everyone in their light of love and acceptance.</p><p>Wonwoo had to give them a shake of the head though, because once again, reality was a bit more complicated than expected. </p><p>“He’s not aromantic, but I think he mentioned something about perhaps falling into the demi-category?” He stared at the teabag in his cup as he continued. “We brought it up once and he said that just didn’t really … know how romantic love feels? For himself, I mean. Since people always bring up sexual attraction when talking about being in love, and he just doesn’t experience that in the same way, he said he wasn’t sure how to differentiate between enjoying a friends companionship and wanting to be together with someone.”</p><p>It had been a very weird evening for them that day, but the talk had been instrumental for them to work as a group without creating misunderstandings left and right. Minghao, Mingyu and Wonwoo himself had agreed on their wishes about Junhui, their hope of him becoming a part of them, and prepared themselves to be either happily accepted or awkwardly let down. </p><p>They had not prepared for a panicked confused “maybe?”, and Junhui had probably not expected to give one either. But as always, life happened, and they had ended up with something very valuable.</p><p>Vernon seemed to be deep in thoughts. “That makes a lot of sense, honestly. Just look at us, most of us ended up getting together with our best friend-slash-friends.” </p><p>He pointed at himself and Seungkwan, who had put his feet onto his boyfriend’s lap and had sprawled out over the rest of the small couch. “Best friends”</p><p> His finger moved towards the very curiously positioned Soonyoung and Seokmin, who had settled on the rug with a few pillows after the formers fall. “Best friends”</p><p> Then the parents on the couch. “Two best friends and one foreigner with a bad sense of direction, and – sorry Josh – judge of character”</p><p>Chan. “Middle school best friends”</p><p>Jihoon. “Ehhh, person with terrible selfcare and hardcore medical student? But who <em>were</em> friends before getting together”</p><p>Pulling Seungkwan’s feet further up his lap, Vernon continued. “I’m just saying, we all knew them as more than a handsome acquaintance or someone moderately nice. We might crush on a stranger, but none of us fell in love with random people. I mean, I knew I liked Seungkwan pretty early on, but that was because I had to hold myself back from kissing him forty percent of the time. If you don’t feel the need to kiss them or be more intimate, I don’t think it would be so easy to tell the difference between platonic and romantic attarction for yourself.”</p><p>Wonwoo hadn’t really spared it too much though before Junhui had brought it up, since he had never been confused as to who he liked. Girls were a no, boys a yes. He had fallen in love with Mingyu over a long period of time and had then been able to identify his feelings much quicker the next time around with Minghao. It wasn’t something to ponder over or question for him, it was all rather straightforward.</p><p>But it was also impossible to ignore the sense of Junhui’s confusion, in separating romantic feelings and deep friendship. You could fancy a stranger, but love came from knowing someone and caring for them, a deeper level of compassion and understanding. Without the urge to smooch or otherwise be physically intimate, how do you then tell the difference between a friend you want to know better or a potential love-interest?</p><p>Wonwoo smiled and nodded in Vernon’s direction, glad that it seemed to resonate with some of them. “I think he’s also just a bit uncomfortable with the expectations we might have. I don’t think I have the right to tell you guys everything, but we’re all just taking it slow.” Minghao had also been slightly wrongfooted by the sudden appearance of a new person, even though he really liked Junhui. They all had their own needs and made sure to work with those in mind, for all of them to feel valued and heard.</p><p>“So it’s a case of you, Mingyu and Minghao dating and Junhui having a foot inside the door,” Jeonghan summarised, “but the three of you are open for him to join you?”</p><p>“Pretty much. We’re not all on the exact same level yet, but we wanted to try and see what would happen. It feels like we are better balanced now, fewer edges sticking out, and well, I guess we’ll just go with the flow” Wonwoo added. “It’s only been what, 7 months since we met? It’s still very … new”.</p><p>The others cooed at the shyness in Wonwoo’s voice as he added the final bit. The teasing and squabbling lifted some of the heaviness which had settled over them during their conversation, and helped Wonwoo himself let go of the topic. They had agreed to wait and see how things would transpire, so worrying would do no good. Life would happen and they would follow, making their own choices along the way.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I know that this one is much longer than the others BUT! It’s not just because I’m a little biased – though I won’t deny that – but it just takes much more time to keep trach of four characters rather than just two. And I also wanted to take this opportunity to expand a bit one both Mingyu and Minghao, giving them room to show themselves as well.</p><p>- Cha Minseo is Jihoon’s ultra-cool, very nice medicine student girlfriends who takes no shits and bullies her boyfriend into taking care of himself. She also has a motorbike. I have never ever written about her, and I am absolutely in love with her. Chan also has a girlfriend, Lee Kiwon, who is just one whole sweatheart who studies history and walks like a duck. This girl I also very much love.</p><p>- Mingyu uses kaomojis and Minghao is genuinely freaked out by them.</p><p>- I imagine Minghao and Wonwoo just communicate through raises of their eyebrows, pointed looks and eyerolls. Wonwoo would usually make sure to advocate how important it is to verbalise your thoughts for an proper communication, but in these situations it’s nice to have a secret silent language.</p><p>- I do find it very interesting how we perceive love, as it is usually something like “Oh, someone you want to spend your life with” or “who do you think is hot?”. I have many friends I would like to stay with forever, but I don’t think I wanna smooch them. And just because someone has a well put together face does not mean I want to suck it.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Friends</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Well, it’s good to know I won’t need to find an abandoned warehouse to hide your body in” Jihoon mused. “Congratulation, you have successfully defended your honour and life!” It was hard to tell whether the threat had been real or not. Wonwoo was glad he didn’t have to risk having to bet on either though. </p><p>“But yeah, that’s it. I don’t even get why you felt this interrogation was necessary. Mingyu would probably tell you guys everything if you asked” he grumbled and caught a flash of something in Chan’s eyes, a glimpse of abashment. “Actually, why did you come here? We’re all in the same group chat, and you could’ve just let it play out in there. Then the others could have added their own bits as well.”</p><p>He would have expected Jeonghan to continue, as he was usually the one to instigate these investigations, but the older had turned curiously still between his two boyfriends. To Wonwoo’s astonishment, all his friends had suddenly turned silent, their body language oddly stilted and all avoiding meeting his eyes. What was up with them?</p><p>Just as he was about to demand some answers himself, an annoyed groan sounded from the lone beanbag across the room. Chan was splayed out across the bag and rolling his eyes very hard. “Ahh, what’s wrong with all you?” he whined, “So big on talking emotions right up until you are faced with your own.”</p><p>Wonwoo could only muster a bewildered “huh?” before the others started protesting, Jeonghan and Jihoon now looking … embarrassed? What exactly had they been doing to make them, who would normally never bat an eye at anything, so flustered?</p><p>“We’ve got our answers, there’s no need to keep this going” Jeonghan complained.</p><p>The look Chan sent him was sharp, to put it lightly. “Oh, and you don’t need to give any? He just opened up about the people he loves – which I mean, great for you hyung, they seem wonderful – and then you can’t even admit to thi-“</p><p>“We are here because he wouldn’t ever agree to tell us anything over text anyway” Jihoon interrupted.</p><p>“And you’re on to speak about not telling anything? How long was it you had been with Minseo before you even mentioned her?”</p><p>“That was different! Very different!”</p><p>“How is that different in any way, it’s literally the same-!”</p><p>“I think we should just end this discussion and raid Wonwoo’s fridge. Jeonghan hyung?”</p><p>“I agree with you Jihoon, we have already gotten our answers anyway, no need to keep this increasingly emotional exchange going.”</p><p>“Well said, Jeonghan hyung, well said! Truer words have never been spoken. Now let’s move and –“</p><p>Chan, finally running out of patience, let out a sharp “YAH!” and righted himself as he continued with his piercing voice. “Why can’t you just say that you … Argh! How come you are all such ditzes when you have to admit to your itty-bitty feelings?"</p><p>He made a swooping gesture with his arms and focused his eyes on the older. "Wonwoo-hyung, we came here, like a flock of nosy geese, because <em>they</em> wanted to make sure the others were good enough for you! They wanted to hear it from your perspective, to verify that your friends truly made you happy! Because they <em>care!</em> Why is it that I, the youngest one, has to carry all the emotional maturity in this group?”</p><p>The following silence was much less tense than the previous, but much much more awkward. The two main victims of the emotions-allergy, Jihoon and Jeonghan, had gone quite red and tried to curl themselves out of existence, while the others, save the still agitated Chan, were in various states of embarrassment. Eight pairs of ears in different shades of red and five unique examples of how to scratch your neck. The looked like a group of middle schoolers being reprimanded by their teacher. It was, despite the circumstances, very adorable.</p><p>Bit by bit, Wonwoo felt his lips spread into a wide smile, before bending over in laughter. It was a half-serious situation sure, but it was almost impossible to make nearly any of his friends genuinely shy. They might fake it whenever it might add a comedic effect, but after all their downright insane adventures, barely anything could faze them. Especially after Jisoo’s epic birthday party, nothing was truly shameful anymore. </p><p>But immunity to wholesome sentiments was clearly not a level reached yet.</p><p>As other laughs merged with his own, Wonwoo hoped it would never be.</p><p>“Awww, so you do care Hoonie!” he beamed and threw himself at the small man, toppling them both onto the floor immediately. Another figure leaped onto the two, knocking the air out of them all. </p><p>Chaos erupted around them, and Wonwoo was pretty sure he heard someone cry for help, as cuddlepiles and playful wrestling broke out. But he felt warm, laying between his friends, and his giddiness kept the flow of laughter going. Looking down, Jihoon had abandoned his embarrassed face and now looked straight back at Wonwoo with the same warmth which was filling his own stomach. The person on top of him, Soonyoung if he was to go off the huffing laughter, settled down on his back, still laughing into his neck.</p><p>“Thank you” Wonwoo huffed, his voice a bit strained from the additional weight on top of him, but his tone genuine. He had never felt alone in the world, had always had people to talk to and trust, but this group of weird guys had made him feel at ease in a way he had only ever felt as a kid, visiting his grandparents and their huge garden. A sense of always being in motion, moving new and unknown places, but never getting lost. Every new place felt like returning to an old house you cannot remember ever visiting but instantly recognising it and thinking – <em>oh how nice to be back home.</em></p><p>Jihoon let an uncharacteristic indulgent smile spread on his lips. The noise from the pandemonium around the faded away slightly, leaving the three friends in their own momentary bobble. These were his first friends, his first lasting friends, who had stuck with him since first grade, through terribly and terrific teenage years and had held on as they began forming their own paths. They had been there at the beginning of everything, and Wonwoo was thankful to all heavens for them.</p><p>Soonyoung pressed his face against Wonwoo’s neck. “You’re welcome, idiot. Anytime”.</p><p>A moment of silence passed them by, each lost in their own thoughts.</p><p>“Or like, in reasonable time. Preferably not before 9am on a weekday, 11 in the weekends”</p><p>The two others laughed despite the lack of air. They stayed like that for a bit, squished together, and basked in their shared calmness, pointedly ignoring the fighting around them. Wonwoo was surrounded by people he cared about, and who cared about him as well. Who had been part of making him who he was and had let him into their family. Into their lives. It was almost beautiful.</p><p> </p><p>And then the doorbell rang.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>That's it! I went back and forth on whether to make this a chaptered story or just let it be one long oneshot, but in the end I decided that it made more sense to let it be chaptered, since I had written it as so anyway. I really hope that is has been an enjoyable read for anyone who gets to this note. </p><p>'Ello! You just made my day! Thank you! Nah, but really, it is so nice to see that people are actually reading your story, whether you give kudos, write a comment or just let the "hit"-count increase by one. I am horrible at commenting, and know how hard it can be, so any reaction is very very nice. (Not that I do not hunger for those sweet, sweet comments .... nyomnyomnyom... Feed MEEEEE!)</p><p>Anyway, thank you so much, I hope this has been a worthwhile use of your time, and I hope you have a splendid day^^<br/>(Also, there might be a final part added, where the rest of the quartet gets to add their own thoughts. Perhaps.)</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I lost all my notes and ideas at one point when I accidentally left my notebook on top of my car and then drove away, making it fall off. I miraculously managed to find it, with the help of my great mother(MOR DU REDEDE MIN HISTORIE!)</p><p>BTW, this might come up later but, in this universe, Wonwoo and Mingyu are gay, Minghao is bi/pan – he doesn’t really give a shit for what’s between your legs –, and Junhui is bi. Chan and Jihoon are both straight, Jisoo, Vernon, Seungkwan and Soonyoung are gay, Seungcheol and Jeonghan are bi and Seokmin is pan. (Soonyoung and Seokmin are both asexual and Junhui is demi-considering, if you can say that)</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>